Sounds Like Me: My Life (so far) In Song by Sara Bareilles + Song of the Week | Review Revolution

Hello, my lovely Nurds!!


If it isn't already apparent from the title, I'm reviewing Sounds Like Me: My Life (so far) in Song. I had anticipated on reading this since I heard that it came out back in 2015.

A little back story, last summer (while on hiatus from this blog), when I was starting college apps, my second wave of depression was arising and lurking around a corner. I knew where I wanted to be and what I wanted to do, but couldn't do anything. The feeling of being held back by some strong forces (e.g. family, school, etc.) is not a good feeling, and while I have yet to overcome this depression, I'm glad I had Sara Bareilles along with me. In a musical sense, of course. And there's no better way I would have preferred that. 

Let me explain. 

I was starting college apps and was pretty uncertain. I knew Sara Bareilles' more mainstream songs, namely "Love Song", "King of Anything", and "Brave", but that's basically it. As the school year started, I really acquainted myself with Waitress the Musical, which, if you don't know, is the musical adaptation of Adrienne Shelly's movie of the same title.

I had definitely been around when the movie came out around 2007 and had seen parts of it, but my eldest sister claimed that it was "too inappropriate" for 9-year-old me, so I wasn't exactly familiar with the plot until I really researched it, coming to find that Bareilles' most recent album What's Inside: Songs from Waitress wasn't just her singing songs from the musical, but also her singing the songs because, well, she wrote them. She discusses how this came about near the end of the book. 

With that said, I acquainted myself with Jenna, the protagonist of both the musical and movie, and found myself gravitating toward her and the powerhouse song "She Used To Be Mine" (of course written and performed by Bareilles, and provided below to the right) because Jenna and I had been in the same situation more or less. Sure I had not been pregnant or in an affair and abusive relationship, but I was lost, which I would've found myself hard to admit at the time.

After discovering all of this, I'd clicked songs that were recommended on Youtube and immersed myself in as many songs I could hear from Bareilles. Of course, there are a few I'm not a fan of, but for the most part, I love the majority. 

So, eventually, I got the book (because I felt that I deserved to buy something for myself after saving my money frugally for the past four years) and I wasn't too disappointed. Yeah, scratch that. I got a fucking paper cut opening up the fucking package, so besides that, everything was pretty damn good.

I'm going to start this article with the cons and finish off with the pros, so that you all end on a light note, but as you can see below, I'm giving this book a 4.5/5 hearts. Let me explain why.

Con #1: The book was incredibly short (under 200 pages)

Considering that she is a beloved singer with a lovely history and music like no other, I would have wanted more. I do appreciate, however, that she did open herself as she did; it must not have been an easy thing, as she admits within the first few pages. Her writing does justify a lot of her struggles and experiences, but I would have hoped for a bit more for someone who's written several albums and who is a five-time Grammy nominee.

Con #2: The grammatical and syntactical errors

When I'm reading, I want to know that I don't need to annotate my book when it's not obligatory. Apparently, the lack of quotation marks around song names completely passed by the editor throughout the entire novel. As a novelist myself, I intuitively feel like adjusting novels when I think my creative processes and ideas get the best of me and when I see fit. However, this book was hardly a novel and there's not much I can change when it comes to someone else's life (a.k.a. nonfiction), so I thought I was going to read pen-free. I guess I was wrong. Sure, I didn't have to make corrections, but it's really irritating when I'm reading and find grammatical and syntactical errors, so that was kind of blah.

Pro #1: She has an incredibly unique story to tell. But also, I like that it wasn't a narrative. 

Reading comments on Goodreads, I have found that a lot of people prefer books with a chronological order of events, but I liked that each chapter wasn´t in that order. However, that's not to say that it wasn't organized. Okay, upon first sight, you might wonder What does "My Life (so far) in Song" even mean? I had an idea myself before I read it, but was astounded to find that it was structured such that the chapters were names of several of the songs that have influenced her the most, namely: 

Each chapter is crafted with a spectacularly witty and life-altering experience that has shaped her in some way, whether that be coping with her parents' divorce, experiencing rejection after rejection from shitty people from her record company, or even a breakup (cue any Taylor Swift song here). She does not shy away from discussing her struggle with her weight, image, and self-esteem, which, she admits, still linger today, even as she is a grown woman. Yet, her

She includes the struggle of starting a new path, being lost, and being the odd one out in a seemingly singular and narrow-minded industry.

The entire layout of the chapter "Beautiful Girl" is written as letters to herself--the younger, formative, and current versions of herself. They are letters reminding herself that she is imperfect and has insecurities, assuring herself (and the reader) that everything will be okay as she accounts the experiences she had growing up at different stages of her life, kind of in the style of telling her childhood and formative and current self all of her adult wisdom.

Pro #2: She includes guest writers and pictures.

I'm not sure if this is because the struggle of writing a book eventually became real and she needed to fill pages because she ran out of content and words and laziness set in store or if she genuinely felt that her book needed guest writers to make her book seem more authentic, but I'm glad that she chose to include photos from throughout her life and the guest writers.

Guest writers include Jessica Vicker, a personal fan and friend of Bareilles; musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer Jack Antonoff; and bandmate and musical director Chris Morrisey.

These offered a personal touch to the book that couldn't be tangible otherwise. For example, Bareilles accounts her personal connection with her fans on several occasions.

For instance, Vicker mentions that no one experiences music the same way. Music is personal to the musician and the listen, who have different backgrounds, but nevertheless, the same message is felt.

Bareilles responded to this in her book about performing her song "Satellite Call" in concert:
"It took my breath away when I opened my eyes to see the entire audience had held up the flashlights on their phones, creating a blanket of thousands of tiny, twinkling, swirling lights, surrounding us. . . . it felt like a symbolic exchange. Of being heard and seen. Each little light represented somebody out there who was listening, and collectively, they created a sea of stars. A sea of souls, rather, and I was honored to be among them."

Happy To Be Alive, Because by Chelsea Jacobs

Hey my fellow people! 

Friday it is. (How do British people talk like this?) Well, good news! My fellow blogger, Chelsea Jacobs's (whose blog I've been following for quite some time now) book has finally been released! YaY!!! I'm so happy for her!!! You can check out her blog and perpetual excitement on thegirlwholovedtowrite.com! 

Sound interesting?

Quote from Happy to be Alive, Because

Quote from Happy to be Alive, Because...

Quote from Happy to be Alive, Because...

 Amazing, right! And so true, a writer in progress!!! Hope for more.

• Buy Happy to be Alive, Because @ http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Alive-Because-Chelsea-Jacobs/dp/0991541200/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397406766&sr=8-1&keywords=chelsea+Jacobs

• http://nyreepress.com/authors/chelsea-jacobs/

• https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/happy-to-be-alive-because/id855477447?mt=11

• http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/happy-to-be-alive-because-chelsea-jacobs/1119127385?ean=9780991541201

Enjoy!!! ^=^

About the Phantom of the Opera

Hello Everybody,
 This is a very important post for I will be discussing a book. Although, I'm not a book person, I do read --and very well I may add! So, recently, I finished reading The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (very French XD - I have always wanted to meet a French person) and this is a summary and review from the unpopular perosn of which you hate.

Gaston Leroux’s novel titled The Phantom of the Opera, published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Groups, Inc., appeals primarily to those interested in mystery, fate, love, and suspense! He introduces himself as a character in the future in Paris, France, uncovering the story of the “Opera Ghost” or what is also known as the Phantom. Many of us who have heard of the famous book, play, or movie may be excused to believe that the phantom is an evil, spellbinding creature. I mean that was my impression while reading the novel for he sure does present himself that way. Gaston acknowledges that he is an historian expecting to uncover the mysterious case of the Opera Ghost, the disappearances of Viscount Raoul de Chagny, his brother, and Christine Daae to none other than the Persian. The Persian is described as swarthy and holds a major role in explaining what he knows about the apparition, however he shows no major importance whatsoever in the midst of the novel. Gaston attempts to identify if the phantom is real or a myth. With his knowledge, the Persian proves to Leroux that the ghost is indeed true by informing him of a carcass found in a sub-structure of the Opera house where the story primarily sets itself.

             The story actually begins in the Paris Opera [house] where there have been sights and rumors of the infamous and distinct “Opera Ghost”.

Leroux begins Christine and Raoul’s encounters when Raoul and brother, Count Philip de Chagny indulge in a song sung by Christine Daae (a pure singer whose voice is described as angelic and perfect), a childhood friend of Raoul, who he had loved for years. During her performance, Daae had felt faint and needed rest. Raoul, wanting to surprise her with his appearance (for they hadn’t seen each other since they were children), overheard her in her dressing room talking to an anonymous “man” who claimed that he loved her. This shattered Chagny’s heart.

Later did he learn that Christine was speaking with the Angel of Music, a mythical apparition who her father promised she meet (he didn’t meet the angel so her promised that Christine would). He said that the angel only meets those of which have “musical souls”. As children, Raoul was deeply acquainted with Christine’s father. Her father was also a musician and was known for playing with his violin.  Well, apparently, she had been receiving music lessons from this “angel” for three months and had started to develop feelings for it.

              On a night of Christine’s performance, she suddenly became unfaithfully unbalanced. No one would know that she would disappear later that day only by none other than the Phantom. After two weeks of worrying about Christine’s intentions and emotions, Raoul receives a note –from Christine telling him to attend the ball held at the Opera with specific instructions of what to wear. He does so and does come in contact with her, but as he follows her to an unknown room, they argue their very first argument. Thus leaving Christine vulnerable for disappearing again by the obvious, Erik, the Opera Ghost, who of which Raoul learned his name at the ball.

              With significant effort, Christine returns from Erik’s clutches and reveals to Chagny why she was abducted, leaving Raoul inconsolable when he noticed a plain gold ring upon her left ring finger. As he noticed the ring, he could only think about two things: killing the Phantom and marrying Christine (which was a problem because she promised Erik that she would never marry –but him).
             The story has many internal and external conflicts regarding Raoul’s endeavors in pursuing Christine, but of course, to obtain more information regarding this, read forth and uncover the many attempts of Raoul.

The story alludes to many French plays, dancers, and artists, even English author, Shakespeare, and incorporates direct characterization especially towards Raoul who expresses his discomfort and pure hatred towards the ghost and his love and resentment of Christine’s actions. The novel also includes third-person point of view from the author’s knowledge. Predominantly, the book is rather gloomy and heartfelt (which is a rather interesting and unnatural combination)

             As stated in the first paragraph, I highly recommend this novel to those who are interested in mystery, love, and suspense – and may I say twists! In my accounts of the story, it is a pristine narrative that thrills those who truly are mesmerized by the events in it. Honestly, I cried at least half a dozen times when I kept Chagny’s emotions by heart.

*The story taught me to persevere when it comes to those you truly love!*